Singer and keyboard player Bruce Hornsby turns 61 today. The Williamsburg, Virginia-native struck major success with his chart-topping hit “The Way It Is” in 1986 with his band The Range and would go on to win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist with the group in 1987.Hornsby would churn out more hits with “Mandolin Rain” and “The Valley Road,” as well as take part in collaborations with Don Henley, co-writing and playing piano on 1989’s “The End Of Innocence,” the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s bluegrass reworking of “The Valley Road” in 1990 that would go on to win the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Recording, and Bonnie Raitt’s hit “I Can’t Make You Love Me” in 1991.

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Hornsby also shares the rare privilege of having played keyboards in the Grateful Dead, even delivering the band’s induction speech at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1994. From 1988 until Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995, Hornsby played more than 100 shows with the Dead, often times as a special guest, playing accordion or Dead keyboardist Brent Mydland’s synthesizer. Though the Dead’s full time keyboard spot was eventually filled by Vince Welnick, Horsnby would still sit in on occasion and has played with the remaining members of the Dead on numerous occasions since Garcia’s death, most recently at the much heralded Fare Thee Well shows in Santa Clara and Chicago.

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In honor of Hornsby’s birthday today, let’s take a look at this performance of Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers during their 1998 residency at Yoshi’s in Oakland, CA with very special guests Steve Kimock and Phil Lesh joining Hornsby during the latter half of the set for renditions of the Dead’s “Scarlet Begonias,” “Loser” and “Tennessee Jed.”

Setlist: Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers at Yoshi’s, Oakland, CA – 11/6/98

Set: Boo Radley, Look Out Any Window, Fortunate Son, King Of The Hill > (Baby Hold On To Me) > (Mountain Jam) > (Surry With A Fringe On Top) > King Of The Hill, Scarlet Begonias*, Rainbow’s Cadillac*, Loser*, Tennessee Jed*

* With Steve Kimock & Phil Lesh

[Setlist via Bruuuuce.com]